


After You Return

by Dawnrider



Series: Return to Me Series [2]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Canon Continuation, Complete, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Gen, Inuyasha Sins Week, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26565742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnrider/pseuds/Dawnrider
Summary: For Tumblr Event #Inuyasha Sins Week:  A continuation of Return to Me in a series of ficletsInuyasha and Kagome navigate their life together while trying to be their best selves for each other and the sake of the village.  But maybe it's not so bad to give in to those sins... once in a while?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Series: Return to Me Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932016
Comments: 132
Kudos: 144
Collections: Inuyasha's Seven Deadly Sins





	1. Prologue

"Inuyasha!" she called, not wanting to startle him if he was taking a nap in the Goshinboku. He had taken to doing so when she was collecting herbs to keep an eye on her without looking like he was. The young miko smiled a little at his continued attempts to be nonchalant about how much he cared for her. She would let him keep his pride and pretend she didn’t know he was there.

There was a soft thump behind her and she spun, expecting to see red fabric and silver hair. Instead she found a giant wolf, salivating and snarling at her. Kagome’s eyes widened in fear and she stepped back. The growl sounded like a hundred, the gnashing teeth seemed like thousands. It was that dreadful night in the forest after Inuyasha’s head injury while human all over again, but all lumped into one giant nightmarish creature. It was going to devour her, feast on her...

Kagome struggled to bring up a barrier, anything! But her power escaped her and she could only back up further as the wolf plodded in her direction. “Inu…”

“Get lost you mangy wolf!” a blur of red and silver collided with the huge animal in front of her. Kagome felt her fear subside for a brief moment, envious of his power as he flew through the air, before instantly fearing for her mate. Inuyasha yelped when the wolf bit his arm, leaping back to check the damage before going back in empty handed. The wolf had him pinned a moment later and she screamed out his name in panic. His eyes seemed confused by her terror as purple stripes flared to life on his cheeks, his eyes bleeding red.

There was an odd mix of relief and fear that filled her at the sight. His anger was directed at the drooling beast above him, but it didn’t mean that it couldn’t be turned her way. She could do nothing as he tossed the wolf off of him, his youkai taking over to save both their lives.

The wolf let out one last deafening howl as Inuyasha nearly pulled it apart. It dissipated into dust immediately, its howl echoing off the trees. Her mate stood in the middle of the clearing, greedily sucking in air as if he had truly exerted himself. Or perhaps it was his human side trying to fight down the youkai? Kagome approached slowly, making sure to make noise so he knew she was coming. It wasn’t until she was upon him that he turned, one eye still red with the turquoise pupil and the other his usual amber. His mouth twisted into a smirk she recognized as her hanyou. “K’gome,” he purred. That was a very familiar tone too.

“Inuyasha?” she squeaked. His arms wrapped around her waist, hauling her up against him and planting a very intense kiss on her lips. She was powerless against the strength of his ardour and she could admit she kind of liked it.

“Mine,” he breathed against her. She nodded, feeling a little boneless. “Ours,” he murmured. Confused, Kagome looked up at him but found he looked blurry for some reason. She was about to ask what was going on when she felt herself slipping. 

Not out of his hold, but out of sleep. 

The birds outside their windows were often quiet this time of day, but she was more sensitive to sounds than she had been before. Inuyasha was still curled around her in the warmth of their futon. The gray light of very early morning was just beginning to light their hut. “Hm… Sleep, ‘Gome,” he muttered, hardly awake himself.

“Can’t,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss his nose. “Got a lot to do today.” Kagome shook off the residual fear and confusion from her dream and stretched, getting ready to go about her day. Ever since she had returned from her era almost a year before, she had made it a point to be useful, to show that she _should_ be here in the feudal era with Inuyasha. That this was where she belonged. Inuyasha shifted in the futon but didn’t entirely wake as she got up.

“Love you,” she whispered in his ear. It flicked lazily and he mumbled something that was probably a similar statement. She smiled. Her life here was wonderful and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Not when she got to be by his side.


	2. Sloth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Sloth prompt: Inuyasha is tired of his wife always being tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind, these are all going to be short little ficlets, but they intertwine to make a whole story. 💋

On the go. From sun up to sun down for weeks she had been like this. Almost frantic in her need to be doing something… anything. Frankly, Inuyasha was done. His wife was exhausting herself and he was tired of her getting up at the crack of dawn and being at the beck and call of the rest of the village for the entirety of the day, only to return in just enough time to make a meal - as if he needed her to cook for him - and then basically pass out in bed.

He’d had enough.

Always a light sleeper, he was awake the moment she started stirring. He waited a long moment to see if she would maybe roll back over and settle in against him. When, as he predicted, she jerked slightly and moved to stretch he sighed. “No.”

“Huh?” she muttered blearily.

“No. You are staying in bed.”

Kagome was silent a moment as she continued to mentally wake up and started to process what he was telling her. Then she sputtered somewhat indignantly. “What are you talking about Inuyasha? I have things…”

“No. You don’t have things. You have shit you keep making up to keep yourself busy. You have dark spots under your eyes, you’re asleep before I can even say goodnight, and you’re making mistakes when you  _ are _ out doing all that stuff. Kaede-baba told me she’s worried.” He took a deep breath. “I’m worried,” he confessed.

His wife and mate rolled toward him to stare in the weak morning light. Her brown eyes were groggy, but understanding was lighting them faster than the sun could. “So I’m supposed to do what? Stay in bed all day?” she scoffed.

“Yes.”

“Inu…”

“At least today. Then you will be sleeping in later from now on. I already talked to the baba. She agrees. You are going to make yourself sick running around like a horde of youkai are at your heels all day.”

Kagome growled. “Of all the high handed, bullheaded…”

“You can call me anything you want, woman, I don’t care. You need rest and I  _ will _ make sure you’re getting more of it.”

“Or what?” she asked after a moment, obviously testing the waters. He could smell that she was beginning to succumb to the temptation to just lay back in their warm futon and let her eyes fall closed again.

He smirked a little. “Or I’ll shred all your clothes so you have no choice but to stay in the house all day.”

She gasped, biting back a smile. “You wouldn’t dare!”

Inuyasha growled and pressed his nose to hers. “Try me, Wife.” Her laughter broke through despite her best efforts and she snuggled into his chest and allowed him to wrap her up in his hold. “Get some sleep, Kagome. Some extra sleep now and then isn’t going to hurt anything.” She hummed lightly in response. Inuyasha grinned into her hair as he could tell she was already half asleep. Best idea he’d had in a while, he decided.


	3. Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrath: Sometimes it really does feel good to get mad.

There had been an attack on the wagon road and Inuyasha had barely made it in time to scare off the bandits and rescue the trader and his family. His thanks had been begrudging, but the inuhanyou had thought little of it. Not everyone was appreciative of having their life saved by a “beast.” He’d recaptured their terrified horses, helped them hook the animals back up to their wagon and had helped lead them to the village to have Kaede and Kagome look over their injuries. The woman had been silent the whole time - after screaming herself hoarse and alerting Inuyasha to their predicament - but had been staring at him with wide eyes the whole way back.

“Inuyasha! Are you alright?” Kagome asked, bustling over to him and patting his hand out of reflex, then smiling when he nodded that he was fine.

“M-Miko-sama!” the man gasped in relief, barely helping his wife down before skittering over to her side and giving Inuyasha with baleful looks. “This… the hanyou saved us. Is he your pet?” he asked a little hopefully. Inuyasha froze, then let his eyes slide sideways to his wife. They hadn’t had to deal with something like this since Kagome had returned through the well and they had married. The villagers all knew them, knew of their attachment. So marrying had just been… Expected. Now almost a year had gone by and this was the first truly “out of town” person they had encountered. Most of the traders who came also knew that this village was protected by the legendary Inuyasha, so they were not ruffled by his presence.

“No, sir. Inuyasha is no one’s pet.” She went about checking the trader’s wife and small son over for scrapes and bruises, fortunately finding little. The man needed a laceration bandaged on his arm and Kaede was kind enough to take over that job. She stepped over to Inuyasha to grip his sleeve in a show of comfort. He leaned down to say something to her and the image must have painted a much more intimate picture than they realized. The man whispered something under his breath. Inuyasha ears snapped to attention and he turned fierce golden eyes on the man. He quailed slightly at first, then tried to puff out his chest to show - however falsely - that he wasn’t afraid. “Do repeat yourself so you can be properly heard, sir,” Kagome said without turning toward him. 

Her hearing might not be as keen as Inuyasha’s, but his words were clear enough.

“I said it’s a shame for a pretty miko like you to be a youkai’s whore.”

“Why I oughta…” Kagome’s hand went up to stall him.

“I am Inuyasha’s wife. He is my husband.” The man was stunned into silence, but his face twisted furiously. Inuyasha growled to Kagome that if she wasn’t going to put the man in his place, then he would. “No need to give his tiny mind any more proof that youkai are violent and out of control.” Her inuhanyou snorted, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. They had conversations now and then about Kagome standing up for herself a little more, ever since their day spent in bed, and she had been doing better at saying no when she needed to. This was on a whole other level though.

“A tainted… a dark miko?”

“That is uncalled for,” Kaede intoned but the man ignored her.

“You better take that shit back, old man,” Inuyasha snarled.

The quelling hand on his shoulder startled him, almost as much as the rising aura of his wife beside him did. “Now, I can only imagine that a small minded man such as yourself knows very little about actual spiritual abilities.” Kagome stepped between Inuyasha and the man. She had a long stick in her hand. “So I suppose you will have to take my word for it, having encountered a couple of dark miko myself. A dark miko’s energy glows a very dark color, like the light just before the sun sets completely, a bit purple.” She took another step toward the man who was beginning to look a little uncomfortable. “A normal miko is capable of enough reiki to imbue an ofuda or an arrow to purify malignant energies.” Kagome lifted the end of her stick from the ground as her energy grew. The end began to glow softly with pink light, which steadily grew and changed from what would not be visible to a normal human to a torch of glowing rose. “I am no normal miko, sir,” she said in a clipped tone.

He scrabbled back, eyes wide and fear rising in his scent. Inuyasha smirked, relaxing back a little as his wife more than handily managed the situation. “I am sorry to inform you that you are no longer welcome to trade in this village. I wish you and your family a safe journey to the next town.” Kaede’s wrinkled face barely hid her pleased grin. “I would not bother telling them that you have angered the hanyou guardian of this village and his wife, the Shikon Miko.”

“The Shi-Shikon Miko?” the man’s wife croaked out. Her eyes became fierce on her husband and she began squeakily scolding him in front of everyone, tucking their son into the wagon and nearly dragging the stunned man into the front. “I apologize for my husband, he does not know of what he speaks.”

“I do…”

“You have caused enough trouble. Be quiet before you bring a curse down on our heads as well,” she hissed. He swallowed and glanced at the group of villagers all glaring at him, clearly standing tall beside their young miko and her hanyou husband. “I am sorry for his thoughtlessness. We will leave immediately.” She turned and dipped a quick bow to Inuyasha. “Thank you, Guardian-sama for saving us.”

“Keh.”

“Do be safe.” The woman set the wagon in motion with her husband sputtering angrily. She set back into scolding him as they drove off. “No, I don’t want to talk about it,” Kagome muttered as she turned and breezed past her husband. He stalked after her as she made her way back toward their little hut tucked in the woods.

Fortunately Inuyasha had the self preservation instincts he did, stopping a ways behind his wife as her energy continued to expand, making his ears tingle and his skin itch. When he was just out of range, she let off a bubble blast of reiki that practically singed his nose in passing. He waited a few moments as she slowed her breathing, her shoulders slowly relaxing. When her head bowed slightly, he finally stepped closer, gingerly closing the distance between them. “Feel better?” he murmured after a while.

“Why? Why does anyone think that it would be alright to say something like that?” Inuyasha remained silent, letting her process her anger. “What gives him the right to think that he is somehow better than you? That he can say such awful things?”

“He’s human, Kagome.”

“So what! I’m human!”

“You’re different. You’re not tiny minded like him, you said it yourself.” Kagome laughed mirthlessly. Inuyasha waited another moment, mulling over what he wanted to say. “Felt kinda good to get mad, though, didn’t it?” he whispered with a smirk. Kagome’s eyes flashed at him, but it was short lived. She could barely bite back her smile before she rolled her eyes and gave a noncommittal nod. “See! Told you. Shoulda fried his shoes, just because you could. They had rat youkai shit on them anyway. Woulda made quite the show.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“It’s part of my charm,” he said with a waggle of his brows.

Kagome snorted, but accepted his hand in hers to lead her back to their hut to rest a bit. “I never should have taught you that saying.”


	4. Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome has a long day with a laboring mother and she's feeling... Ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: mentions of infant loss

It had been a very, very long night for Kagome. She slipped through the mat at the door of the young mother’s house whose baby she had just helped deliver. Unfortunately for her, babies had their own schedules when it came to arriving in the world. “Kagome.” His voice barely startled her, but she jumped anyway. Her nerves were shot. “You’re dead on your feet, woman.”

“It was a bit complicated. But they’re both alright.” She took a breath before allowing her husband to lift her onto his back so he could carry her home. “A boy. Big little guy, so he gave us… her a bit of trouble on the way out.” Kagome winced at her misspeech. Aside from the physical toll of the twenty hour labor on the mother and twelve of those where she was present to help, the young miko was feeling particularly emotional tonight.

“Glad the babe and mother are alright.” His body language, even flying through the air, spoke of his hesitation, his anxiety. “You aren’t though,” he finally stated.

Kagome pinched her eyes closed against the truth of his words. And she knew he was aware that it wasn’t just the fatigue. While she loved a lot about her husband’s extraordinary skills, his ability to catch her in a lie was not one of them. “I will be. I’m just really tired.”

“Uh huh.” His tone was flat, but he didn’t ask her anything else while they were in flight, nor when he set her near the door and went to warm a bucket of water for her to have a quick rinse before bed. Kagome watched him out of the corner of her eye as he moved around their hut. The tension between them could be plucked like a bowstring, the knowing without knowing making them both irritable but unwilling to take it out on each other.

Once Kagome finally felt clean enough to be in her own house, she sat on the edge of the genkan and curled her feet up beside her, slipping into a yukata Inuyasha had set out for her as she was washing. “I had a hard time with this one.”

The shift in their connection made her sigh in relief, her chin dropping to her chest as he came to kneel beside her. “Why’s that?” he asked softly.

At first, Kagome could only shrug. She wasn’t exactly sure herself why she had been more deeply affected by this birth. It certainly wasn’t the first one she had participated in with Kaede since she returned from the future. It was part of their duty in this village to assist and bless the new mothers as they labored to bring new life into the world. So what was it about this one that had so affected her? They had even lost a baby before, more than once actually, usually stillborn. That had been hard and awful. But this was different. “I’m feeling… Off.”

Inuyasha automatically held his inner wrist up to her forehead as he had seen or felt her do however many times. “No fever,” he muttered.

Kagome shook her head, still unable to look him in the eye. “I don’t feel sick.” She bit her lip in thought. “I think… I think I’m feeling jealous,” she whispered faintly, a little surprised herself by the confession. “That’s not right. I should be happy for Hisako. She had a hard pregnancy. She was so happy.”

Her mate and husband was silent a long time. He was staring at her, she noted, when she finally worked up the nerve to actually look at him. His golden eyes were neither accusing nor upset. He was simply watching her, analyzing. “I don’t see why you can’t feel both.”

“Huh?”

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, finally breaking the mutually agreed “no touching” policy they had established for the last several minutes. “How many times have you told me that you can have more than one feeling at a time?” Kagome blinked, letting out a squeak when he plopped her down on the futon and flipped the blankets over her legs. “You can be happy for her and jealous of her happiness at the same time.”

Kagome sucked in a breath. “I am happy.” He just looked at her expectantly. “I am though!” Sinewy arms folded over a broader chest than he’d had even a year before. “I just… the way she looked at him, Inuyasha. I can’t even imagine what that must feel like.”

He stared another long moment before sighing. “You want pups, Kagome.”

“Excuse me?”

This time it was his eyes rolling at her. “You want a baby. And that’s normal.”

Her mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to formulate a response. But nothing seemed quite right. Did he want a baby? They hadn’t really talked about it much since they got married. Which seemed a bit unwise given that they had been married within a month of her return and they hadn’t exactly had access to protection. “I guess?”

His eyebrow lifted in bemusement. "You guess? Ain't you the one always telling me to be honest about my feelings and shit?" She couldn't deny it and she knew it. "There's nothing wrong with wanting that for yourself." The way she turned her head, the shame that suddenly flared in her scent… it wasn't just that she realized she wanted a baby. Something else was coloring her feelings.

"I was a little… angry." She took a deep breath. "Or… envious. I kept thinking that it should have been me," she whispered almost inaudibly. Inuyasha blinked at the shrunken figure of his mate. Her shame in admitting that she was envious of that new mother was now a sharp scent he couldn't escape. Her tears were close behind.

"Kagome…" She flinched from his touch. "Kagome, stop." He scooped her into his lap and tucked her into his embrace. "You know… when Sango and the Monk got hitched, I was jealous. I was happy for them, but I was a little angry too. I was angry they had what I… what I thought I couldn't have."

Kagome's head lifted just a bit. "R-Really?" He nodded. "How did you get past it?"

"Hmm. Took a while. Dunno that it completely went away until you came back. But it wasn't all the time." He sighed and mindlessly rocked her a little as he thought back to the time when they were separated. It had been hard seeing how happy their friends were, how they were moving forward and he was… stuck. "We all want things, sometimes things we can't have. It's how we deal with it that matters."

“That’s true.”

“You’re not the only one who wants pups, you know?” he whispered almost nervously. Like it was the first time he had admitted it aloud to anyone. She glanced up cautiously, not wanting him to clam up out of embarrassment. “When the twins were born and I saw how Miroku changed, how much he adores them. I… I guess I was jealous too.”

She seemed to mull it over. "I thought it made me ungrateful to feel that way," she confessed finally.

"No, Kagome, just human."

He felt her shift in his lap until she could look up at him. Her eyes were tired, but glittering with mischief. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So, what's your excuse?"

"Oi!"


	5. Greed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha sees no need to "treat yo'self" but Kagome isn't having it.

Kagome fought the urge to snort in disgust. It was impolite and her dear, darling, stubborn, frustrating husband would be offended. Unfortunately, there was no way around it. This yukata was terrible.

She was running out of ways to patch it, and at this point it was almost more patches than the original fabric. “Inuyasha?” He hummed from where he was perched by the door, watching the rain. It was beginning to get to that point in the year when it got colder at night. And this poor, overused, threadbare yukata was the only thing her mate had to wear to bed. “I have that bolt of cloth the village headman gave us for the extermination in that village last month.” His ear turned more pointedly at her to let her know he was listening. “I could… make you a new yukata, instead of trying to keep this one from falling apart.”

He finally looked over his shoulder at what she was doing. He scowled a moment, getting up to come and take the worn fabric from her hands. “You’re too tired to be working on that thing. I’ll do it.” Kagome matched his scowl with one of her own. “You got enough duties outside of this hut. Don’t worry about it.”

“Inuyasha. You deserve to have a nice yukata to sleep in. I might have to ask for a little help,” she conceded, “but I could make you a simple one I think. I need the practice anyway.”

“Kagome… No. You’re already too busy. I’m tougher than that. I don’t really need the damn thing anyway. Just sleep without it.” He tried to shift moods and waggled his brows at her. “Easier that way anyway.” Kagome gasped out his name in reprimand and pushed at his shoulder.

Being the problem solver that she was, Kagome thought about it for a moment. If he wouldn't let her make him one… “Then let’s buy you one! I think…”

“No need to waste money on somethin’ like that.”

Kagome paused and looked at her husband. Really looked at him. His posture was slightly tense and he didn’t want to look her in the eye. It felt like a mixture of anxiety and shame. “Inuyasha, do you think we shouldn’t spend money on the yukata because it’s not worth it… or because you’re not worth it?” The slightly shocked look he gave her combined with the way he almost didn’t catch himself from rearing back from her was extraordinarily telling. “We have the money, Inuyasha, we should…”

“I’ll go out and get something from the woman in the village. She’s got a few extra I think,” he interrupted, trying to close the matter immediately.

“Inuyasha. We’ll go into the bigger town and get you a nice soft one.” He tried to refuse. “I am the one who has to sleep next to you. You might not feel it, but sometimes your skin is freezing when you sleep naked. We’re getting you a nice soft warm yukata so we’re both more comfortable.”

“That’s not what that money is for!”

“Oh? Are you saving it for something I don’t know about?” He looked sheepish. Not because he had been hiding anything, but because he realized he didn’t even have a viable reason to be hoarding away all their savings like a pack rat. “It isn’t a waste of money to buy something both useful and nice for yourself, Inuyasha.”

“No need to be greedy. I can get one of the…”

Kagome lifted her hand to stall his words. “It isn’t greedy. You work hard, you have been saving enough to last us over a year. And the villagers provide us so much in return for the help we give here. We don’t even need to spend money most of the time. We’ll be alright if we take a few coins to get you a couple nice things to sleep in.”

He made a face at her, slowly giving over. “Alright, fine. But we’re getting you a warmer coat while we’re there.”

“If that’s the compromise I have to make, who am I to argue.”

“Keh. This is you we’re talking about. You always argue.”

Kagome feigned affront. “I do not!” Inuyasha raised an eyebrow as if to say, oh really? She allowed her face to melt into a smile and threw her arms around him to give him playful kisses on his cheeks, finally making him laugh with her.


	6. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha isn't taking enough credit for his hard work. Kagome reminds him he's allowed to be proud of his efforts.

The last of the frame for the storage building went into place and several men rushed in to attach it properly while Inuyasha held it in place from above. He did so without complaint, a faint look of concentration on his face but otherwise unperturbed. Kagome stood by with a basket on her hip, full of herbs that would need to be dried before the winter, admiring the strength and calm he exuded in an otherwise stressful situation.

Her husband was amazing.

“That’s the last of it, Inuyasha-sama!” one man called from the front door area. “Try letting go.” He carefully peeled his fingers away, uncurling from his crouched position on the already braced half of the roof. Kagome found herself holding her breath as they all watched for any shifting in the framework. Nothing. Inuyasha let a slight smirk lift his mouth, but was quickly demanding nails and a hammer to secure the top of the roofline and ensure it wouldn’t budge under the pressure of winter snows. Next they would have to put up the roofing, but this had been the biggest step in getting the new shared village storage set up. It had been Inuyasha’s idea, wanting to make sure everyone had enough to eat through the winter. All families would store what they needed and had space for in their own homes and anything extra would be stored in the larger storehouse to help them last the likely long winter.

The roof secure, Inuyasha hopped down and surveyed the work with a careful eye. He went around and shook the eaves a bit to make sure nothing was unstable. When he was satisfied, he gave the waiting village men a nod. They all grinned, patting each other on the shoulders and sharing congratulations. “Thank you, Inuyasha-sama! You saved us months of work.” Inuyasha shrugged, but acknowledged their thanks before moving to intercept her.

“Saw you watching. Like what you see, woman?” he purred in her ear. Kagome laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. He winced a little and she frowned. Quickly returning her face to neutral, she kept walking, casually leading them toward their hut instead of Kaede’s where she was originally heading.

“Heavier than you thought?” she asked in a nonchalant tone, shifting the basket to her front to hold it with both hands.

“Keh.”

“Uh huh. You make it look so easy. Don’t let them all think it’s nothing to you. They’ll take advantage without meaning to,” she reminded him gently.

“It’s not a big deal, ‘Gome,” he muttered, a faint blush on his cheeks. Now that they were out of the village proper and no one else was around, Kagome stopped and turned to him, startling him. “What?” he asked, golden eyes a bit wide.

“It is though. You did save them months of work, major risk for injury, and resources. That’s no small thing. Especially in this age. People fall and break legs, are hobbled for life if they don’t die in this era, Inuyasha. You might have saved someone’s  _ life _ by helping like you did.” He continued to stare at her in open wonder. Obviously it had not really occurred to him that doing something for the village could be expanded to mean someone didn’t  _ die _ . “I’m proud of you, the village is proud that you’re their protector… you should be proud of yourself.”

“Nah. I just held…”

“Inuyasha, take a little more credit. You deserve it.” He slowly relaxed from his slightly tense posture and smiled slightly at his wife. “Good. Now go take pride in yourself all the way to the hot springs. You need a bath and some heat on those muscles or you’re going to be hurting worse later.”

“Only if you come with me,” he rumbled with a smirk.

Kagome let a mischievous grin curl her mouth. “I thought you’d never ask.”


	7. Gluttony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha wants his wife to indulge herself a little.

He had done the best he could. He’d tracked down all the ingredients - such as they were available in the feudal era - and had enlisted Sango’s help to make sure he did it right. She’d even made a few extras that she knew Kagome favored to have on hand. All he had to do now was gather his wife back home from whatever inane miko task she had insisted on doing herself today. He appreciated her work, he really did, but it was beginning to take a toll on her health. She had thrown herself into the responsibilities so wholeheartedly that they had now needed to have several discussions about needing to focus on herself and their relationship just as much as her duties. She was still tired often, even though he made her stay home in bed longer on what she called “weekends” so she could get some more sleep.

His biggest concern at the moment was how it was impacting her appetite. She was so busy most of the time that she either didn’t have time or forgot to eat. She wasn’t losing weight that he could tell… yet. He had every intention of heading that off before it became an issue. Especially before the winter actually set in. The last thing any of them needed was Kagome getting sick. Especially now that there was no possibility of her returning through the well to get the medical care available from modern doctors and a hospital.

Inuyasha shook off the faint guilt at that thought and let out a sigh. “Right. Now to get Kagome.” He made sure nothing was going to burn or spill one last time before he left, then went out into the early twilight to hunt down his mate. He found her just leaving the old miko’s hut, bundling her new coat around her shoulders as the retreating sun had taken the warmth with it. She seemed unsurprised to see him, smiling as he loped toward her. “Kagome,” he breathed when she slipped into his arms as soon as he touched down.

“Hi,” she murmured. “Miss me?”

“Hm. Always,” he said with a light grin into her hair, taking in her scent. The bite of late fall in his nose made it hard to pick up all of what made up “Kagome” but he was instantly comforted by her proximity. “C’mon. I have something for you at home.” She looked up at him in slight surprise, but followed him for a few steps before he swung her up into his hold and carried her the distance to their little hut in the woods.

“Something smells good,” she said with a laugh, slipping out of her coat and looking up at the banked fire in the pit and the meal keeping warm beside it. “Inuyasha! You didn’t tell me you were cooking! And all this… are Sango, Miroku and the kids coming over?”

“No. Just us.” She looked up at him in confusion. “I wanted to give you a chance to eat all your favorites, all the things you like.” Kagome blinked, looking back at the dishes set out and going over to look more closely.

“Is that udon?” she breathed.

“Best I could do. I know it won’t be as good at your m- urk!” he choked out when he was suddenly enveloped in his mate’s arms squeezing him tight. Inuyasha couldn’t help but smile and wrap his arms around her in return. “Guess it wasn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had then,” he teased. She shook her head.

She finally let go and plopped down in her usual spot, accepting the bowl he brought her happily. She sat and smelled it for a long time, eyes closed, a faint smile on her face. “It smells just like Mama’s,” she whispered after a moment. He quietly explained that his only clue to the ingredients had been by the scent. “Well then I’m going to enjoy this,” she said with a huge grin.

Inuyasha watched her carefully as she delicately ate the entire bowl, savoring each bite and sighing with happiness all the while. It was one of the best things he could remember witnessing in a very long time. Her quiet appreciative sounds, the faint smile on her lips, the way her face seemed to glow. But most importantly, she was eating, and eating well. He encouraged her to try the other things Sango had made, perhaps getting a little overenthusiastic in his eagerness for her to eat.

“Inuyasha, I’m going to pop if I eat any more!” she sighed, patting her stomach a little. “I don’t want to make myself sick.”

“But you haven’t been eating,” he murmured, eyes dropping to his lap. “You’ve been too busy, or not hungry.”

“I just had a little stomach upset the other day, Inuyasha, it’s not like I don’t eat at all.” Her gaze seemed to turn inwards as she thought over the last week. “Alright, so I haven’t been very hungry lately. But I’m not going to waste away in just a week. I’m fine.” His ears drooped as his amber eyes rose to meet hers in the firelight. “You really were worried, weren’t you?” He scowled slightly, but couldn’t deny it. “I… I guess I was more worried about everything else than making sure I was eating,” she confessed.

“I know. That’s why I wanted to make sure it wasn’t the food. Compared to the dishes we used to eat at your house, it’s usually boring and…”

“Oh goodness. Inuyasha! We have plenty of good food. This, tonight, is wonderful but it’s… decadent.”

“You deserve that once in a while, you know? I don’t want you to regret being here.”

Kagome let out a sigh before setting her food aside and scooting over until she could sit beside him. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and made sure he was looking straight at her. “Inuyasha, there is nowhere else in time or space that I would rather be than here with you. Always. Never doubt that, please?” He stared back at her, irises swirling a little anxiously. “You are my home. Wherever you are,  _ that _ is home.”

“But this home doesn’t have curry,” he pouted.

Kagome stiffened in surprise, blinked, then burst into laughter. The kind of laughter that shook her whole body and made his heart feel too full. Even if it was kind of at his expense. “Don’t even try to pretend like it bothers you that we don’t eat curry, Inuyasha!” she giggled.


	8. Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome wakes up wanting and, naturally, thinks her hanyou husband will be more than happy to help her. So why isn't he?

The rain pattered on the roof inconsistently, sometimes heavier than others, but without letting up. Kagome smiled as she slowly became aware of the fact that it was a “Saturday” and she was more than encouraged to stay in bed as long as she could stand. Which typically wasn’t  _ that _ much later than she usually got up, now that Inuyasha had insisted on her sleeping longer, but on days like this? She might stay in bed all morning at this rate.

Not that her mate seemed to mind at all. She had never known him to sleep as long as he had started to once they were married. When they were on their quest, he was always up long before everyone else. Though, she imagined actually having a place to call his own with a roof on it made a big difference. He told her once a few months before that he still had been a restless sleeper until her scent was right next to him all the time. Kagome hadn’t anticipated how hard that would hit her. He needed her just as much as she needed him, he just showed it differently. He had told her all those years ago that he felt like her scent was a part of him, she just didn’t truly understand what that meant until now.

Inuyasha stirred a bit, arm sliding around her shoulder and his hand incidentally covering her breast. Kagome gasped slightly, not expecting the touch and finding her body far more responsive than she would have anticipated. She shifted, trying to cool down a bit and maybe shift enough that his large palm wasn’t so heavily pressed against her now hardened and sensitive nipple. Her hanyou mate grunted in his sleep, but seemed unperturbed by her movements. She sighed and tried to settle back in to fall asleep as she had originally been hoping to do anyway.

Kagome found after several moments that not only was she entirely unsuccessful, her body had decided it was all in for the whole “sexy time” idea. Knowing that leaving her husband asleep to take care of the heated feeling wouldn’t be wise, nor did she want to, Kagome nudged him with her backside. It only took a few times before his body was responding and he was stirring awake. “Hm. ‘Gome?” he murmured in question. Kagome let out a little frustrated noise and ground her hips back into his a little more purposefully. He grunted, pressing against her in return. She could tell when he woke up a bit more because he froze, hand gripping her breast as if making sure he was feeling what he thought he was. She moaned softly with the pressure, an almost painful ache beginning there and between her thighs.

“Inuyasha, c’mon,” she breathed, arching to create more contact between both his hand and her breast and his arousal and her ass. Inuyasha groaned with a rumble in his chest. Kagome shivered faintly with the vibration. It was delicious, but it wasn’t enough.

“Wait, wait, Kagome…”

“No,” she whined. “No waiting. I want you,” she purred. Inuyasha growled. He slid his hand up her chest and gently over her neck until he was lifting her chin up and away so he could nip and lick her throat. She squeaked out a whimper at the feeling of his teeth just under her jawbone. Kagome made a point of circling her hips against him to make it very clear what she wanted from him.

“Can’t,” he muttered. “Can’t.”

“Please,” she begged him. Why was he holding out? Kagome reached back to fumble with the front of his yukata, getting hold of him and letting out a gasp when he bit down a bit harder on her neck in response to her fingers wrapping around him. “Inu…” He tried to wiggle away from her, which was unlike him. Usually he would have fully engaged with her in this, pressing into her hand and running his hands along her… Kagome shuddered at the thought alone.

“Can’t!” he shouted suddenly, letting her go and rolling off the futon.

Completely befuddled, and still burning from the ghosts of his touches, Kagome rolled over and stared at her husband in the gray light. His golden eyes were glittering, wide. He looked faintly terrified. “What on earth is wrong with you, Inuyasha?” she huffed. He blinked, as though coming out of a trance and blew out a heavy breath.

“Your scent changed.”

Kagome opened her mouth a moment, then closed it, unsure how to respond to that at first. “You s-said it does that when I get…” She flushed for reasons other than want. “You said you liked that.”

Inuyasha frowned, confusion tilting his head. His crouched position, tilted head, and perked ears gave him every appearance of a canine, though the gaping yukata hanging around his frame distracted her from laughing at his expense. She could see everything her very attractive husband had to offer and she was instantly reminded that he was withholding that from her! “If it was just that, we wouldn’t have a problem,” he rumbled.

Kagome huffed, sitting up on the futon and staring down her very handsome, and very stubborn, mate. “We have a problem?” she asked, one brow raised. She was losing some of the passionate heat and finding it replaced with the heat of anger. The way he shifted uncomfortably told her he had scented that too. “Why, pray tell, do we have a problem?”

He didn’t respond, staring at her in silence, seemingly not sure what to say. Kagome leaned forward until she was on her hands and knees, prowling across the futon until they were nose to nose. Inuyasha froze as she trailed a fingernail down the center of his chest, a shudder rippling through him and his cock twitching before she was even close enough to touch it. Kagome fought a smirk, keeping her face cautiously neutral. She finally took hold of him while he was frozen in place and he yelped, something unintelligible popping out with it. He hissed a moment later when she lightly tugged on him, unrelenting.

“Inuyasha…” she sighed as she moved to push him onto the floor in hopes of getting the opportunity to be in control a bit.

“You’re whelped!” he cried out, scrambling back from her and nearly backing into the fire pit. The pair of them stared at one another, eyes wide and chests heaving. Kagome let his words filter into her brain and sat abruptly on her backside in shock. Inuyasha lurched toward her in concern, but stopped just before touching her, anxiety telegraphed in all his body language. “I thought something was… different. But it wasn’t until just now that I recognized it.”

Kagome breathed in and then out. “I’m not surprised,” she whispered. “I mean… I am, a little, but I shouldn’t be.” It took her another moment before the shock truly wore off. She studied her husband as he nervously stared at her. “Are you.. Upset?” she breathed, anxiety suddenly gripping her gut. She recalled thinking the other week about the fact that they hadn’t really discussed children yet. That night after the long delivery he mentioned something about her not being the only one who wanted “pups” but he also didn’t bring it up again.

“Are you?” he questioned her.

Kagome sighed with the understanding that she was going to have to break the proverbial ice when it came to this tender topic. “No. Like you said, it’s not a bad thing to want a baby, right?” He nodded slowly. “And it isn’t like we haven’t been all over each other since we got married.” The memory of those times seemed to change the focus of his eyes, their amber irises glittering in the rising morning light filtered through the clouds. He didn’t oppose when she returned to her knees, her mouth within a breath of his lips. “We haven’t been careful at all,” she breathed, lightly brushing her lips against his. Inuyasha shuddered but kept still. “Plenty of times when we came together.”

Inuyasha growled and shifted his weight, his lips encountering hers as he gently pressed her down into the futon. “We can’t now though,” he whimpered against her chin, his arousal sliding along hers. “Can’t risk anything happening to you. T-To the pup.”

“Nothing’s going to happen, Inuyasha, especially right now. They’re tiny still, completely protected.”

He paused. “Completely?”

“Yes. We can do this,” she murmured, tilting her hips to accept him into her body, “all the way up until a month or so before the end.” Inuyasha found that even if he had the tiniest doubt about her words, his body couldn’t seem to care in that moment. It felt too good being within her, connected to her in this ultimately intimate way. “Inuyasha,” she sighed, her fingers gripping his biceps as he slowly slid in and out of her slick heat. Her scent was rising again, wrapping around him, pulling at his beast. His teeth grazed the line of her neck as she arched into him which only made her whimper in pleasure. It somehow still amazed him that she liked feeling the deadly points of his teeth pressing into her delicate skin.

The slow movement of his body against her, within her, had Kagome shifting against him in hopes of encouraging him to go faster, harder. Her mate was impervious to her usual tactics. He was intent on slowly and gently building her up. His lips trailed down her neck to her shoulder and across her chest until he came across the tender peaks of her breasts. His tongue slowly circled the tight bud of one nipple, his lips following with a light suckle. Kagome gasped at the mixture of pleasure with a tiny edge of pain, almost too much. He repeated the light caresses with his tongue, gentling in the wake of her cry. Inuyasha growled deep at the way it made her tighten around him, his hips snapping against hers for a moment before he regained control of himself.

“Inuyasha, please!” she whined. “I’m not going to break,” she reminded him. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to tell him that.

“The pup…”

Kagome caught his cheeks in her hands and made sure he was looking at her. “Will be fine. I promise. Do you think I would put our baby at risk if I thought there was any chance that this would hurt them?” He stuttered out a negative response. “Exactly. Now stop treating me like a flower or I’ll do it for you.”

Inuyasha was a little stunned by her somewhat aggressive tone, but he couldn’t deny that he was so turned on by the challenge she presented him with that he could do nothing but comply. His hands went to her knees and carefully pushed them wide. She groaned, obviously thinking he was going to keep up the slow and cautious lovemaking from before. Kagome squeaked when he delivered one hard snap with her open to him. Inuyasha smirked, repeating the action with deliberate pacing to leave her unsure when the next would come. She panted out his name, her nails digging into his forearms where she gripped him.

He growled when she arched again, her throat wide open and vulnerable to him. A show of trust, of want. She wanted  _ him _ . Inuyasha leaned in and caught hold of her neck with his teeth, keeping her in place as he increased the pace of his thrusts. Her breathing sped up and she let out tiny whimpers that let him know she was getting closer. “That’s it,” he snarled into her, hands clutching her ass as he drove into her and felt the telltale squeeze around him. She was almost there and he knew without doubt that she would take him with her, as tightly wound as he was.

Kagome felt the spiral of heat travel down her spine, her body drawing taut as she bit her lip. A pulsing sensation caught her attention, the intensity of it increasing when she noted it wasn’t coming just from her. Inuyasha snarling pulled her eyes open and she stared in awe as he transformed in front of her. As they had learned to expect, her reiki rose in connection with his youki and they both seemed to glow a dark pink, the mixture of their auras surrounding them. “Inu…” She was cut off when he pulled back far enough to flip her over and pull her up and back against him. His left hand cradled her chin while the right pressed tenderly to her waist. “Inuyasha?”

“Mate,” he purred against her neck. His thrusts into her were almost painful, but his hands and mouth were as gentle as could be. He nipped her a little then moved his hand to cup her breast, thumb brushing her nipple and his longer claws lightly pressing into the soft flesh. Kagome whined but could barely move in her position. She swore she could feel every single line of his thumbprint across her oversensitized breasts. Her hanyou’s right hand then moved down her body to gently smoothe over her belly. “Pup,” he breathed.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

A pleased growl rumbled in his chest. “Mine.”

“Ours,” she corrected and he chuckled.

“Good,” he murmured, mouthing her neck and back, nibbling and running his tongue along the line from her ear to her shoulder. His left hand left her chin and moved to her breast while the right lowered to press the heel of his hand to her sex as he continued to slowly thrust into her from behind. Kagome sucked in a breath when lightning shot through her system. “Cum.” It was a demand and one she couldn’t deny in that moment, even if she had wanted to. She let out a cry and felt her thighs shake as he wrought her orgasm from her very willing body. He could only keep up his pace for another few strokes before he followed her, howling into her shoulder, his hips tight to hers as she spasmed and gasped.

They both collapsed to their hands and knees a moment later, Inuyasha’s arm wrapping around her to keep her from falling completely. Chest heaving, Kagome nodded that she was alright at his silent question, the pat of his fingertips on her ribs communicating his concern. His youki had faded back to normal and Kagome could see that her arms were no longer glowing. He took a breath before sliding out of her and falling onto his side. He pulled her with him so she was cuddled into his chest as they both tried to regain their calm.

Inuyasha’s hands ran up and down her back soothingly, the rain continuing to tap across their roof lulling her some. “So we can… we can keep doing that?” he whispered finally. “Even with the pup?” Kagome grinned into his chest, nuzzling him. She repeated her warning of a month out, but affirmed that they could keep doing  _ that _ . Especially if it was going to be that good. Inuyasha fought a smirk as his ego preened under the indirect praise.

There was little to keep them awake, the rain muting the morning light coming in through the tiny windows of their warm little hut in the woods. Inuyasha continued to rumble as he ran his fingers through Kagome’s hair. “Inuyasha?” she muttered, her breath fluttering against his collar bone. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

He blinked, startled by the faint moisture that had collected at his lashes. “Yea, Kagome. We are. Our own pup to chase after.”

“Hmmm… She’s gonna be beautiful.” Her words were slightly slurred and he could tell by her breathing that she was already asleep before he could even come up with a response. All he could do as he too slipped into sleep was hum his agreement and nuzzle her hair. They had a lot more to talk about when they woke up, but for now, this was exactly where and how he wanted to be. His mate in his arms, their pup safely growing in her womb, and nowhere to go. The hanyou drifted off thinking that this was the most full he had ever felt in his life. All thanks to the weird and wonderful woman asleep in his embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the last installment of After You Return for Inuyasha Sins Week 2020!   
> Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! You will likely see people continuing to add works to the Inuyasha_Sins collection even after this week is over, so keep your eyes peeled!
> 
> Remember you can find me on Tumblr (@dangerouspompadour) to read WIPs, teasers, and get wind of story updates before I post them! Also, just come say hi! I welcome asks any time.


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